UK’s first Pet Theft Census reveals that one in five cat and dog owners have experienced the theft of a pet in their lives.
Official police data shows the equivalent of at least three cats and dogs have been stolen every day this year.
Cats and dogs worth an estimated £671,000 stolen since the beginning of 2012.
MORE THAN is providing to pet owners to help tackle the issue.
http://news.morethan.com/pressrelease/view/1461
According to new research released today, thieves are stealing cats and dogs from all over the UK at an alarming rate. The UK’s first-ever Pet Theft Census, from MORE THAN Pet Insurance, reveals how one in every five (20%) cat and dog owners have experienced the theft of a pet during their lives, with 53% of those incidents occurring in the last 12 months alone. What’s more, of all cat and dog thefts in Britain, over half (54%) of owners have sadly never seen their beloved pets again.
Three pets stolen every day
The research, conducted with 4,865 cat and dog owners[1] and 40 police forces, sought to catalogue in detail the full extent of pet theft across Great Britain. According to official police data[2], from January 1st to October 31st this year 911 cats and dogs were reported stolen in the UK. That’s the equivalent of three pets every day – and an estimated value of £311,000[3]. And when coupled with the figures from 2012 it means that almost 2,000 cats and dogs have been stolen at a value of £671,000.
However, these are only the pet thefts brought to the attention of authorities. The true figure could be much, much higher. Indeed, as thePet Theft Census indicates, over one third (37%) of cat and dog thefts in the last 12 months were never actually reported to the police.
Most wanted breeds
Of the cats and dogs topping burglars’ most-wanted lists, it’s perhaps not a surprise that expensive pedigree breeds come top (61%). And, while the average value of each cat and dog stolen was £284 and £389 respectively, nearly a quarter (23%) of dogs and 15% of cats were originally bought by their owners for £500 or more.
Most stolen dogs in dogs
Most stolen cats in
1. Staffordshire Bull Terrier (15%)
2. Labrador (11%)
3. Spaniel (8%)
4. German Shepherd (8%)
5. Chihuahua (6%)
Most stolen cats in Britain
1. Siamese (38%)
2. Persian (33%)
3. Ragdoll (11%)
4. Maine Coon (10%)
5. Bengal (6%)
What’s more alarming is that the average age of cats and dogs stolen is just two years and 11 months, with one in seven (15%) pets not even reaching their first birthday before being snatched away.
Commenting on the new MORE THAN Pet Theft Census, Colin Butcher, Senior Investigating Officer from The Pet Detectives, said:“We’re often asked what happens to all of the stolen pets in Britain; unfortunately there just isn’t one simple answer. We know that a large number are sold on to new owners either through free-ads or via one of the many internet sites. If the animals aren’t microchipped it’s extremely difficult to prove ownership and we would encourage pet owners to do this.”
Common tactics
According to the findings of the Pet Theft Census, pets left in gardens were the most likely to be stolen (52%), followed by those at home alone (19%). Over half (51%) of owners that were the victims of a burglary believe the intruders broke in purely to take their pet. Looking at dogs specifically, brazen thefts while owners are out walking their dogs are commonplace (16%), while dogs tied up outside shops (7%) and left in cars (5%) are both easy targets for opportunistic thieves.
Yet, despite it being one of the most popular methods for a criminal to steal a dog, nearly a quarter (22%) of all dog owners admit they will tie up their dog outside a shop or supermarket and leave them unattended. Of those, 30% do this every single week.
John Ellenger, of MORE THAN Pet Insurance, commented: “Pet theft has been a serious issue for some time, but until now it wasn’t clear just how extensive it was. Our new census shows that every day pet owners are going through the heartbreak and emotional turmoil of discovering that their cat or dog has been stolen. We want to raise awareness of the issue of pet crime, encourage owners to be as vigilant as possible and provide a helping hand to reduce the chances of pet owners becoming the victims of theft. Hopefully, with more people aware of the issue we’ll see crime levels drop in 2014.”
Regional hotspots
The research points to London (26%), the North West (23%) and the West Midlands (22%) as having the biggest problem with pet theft. This is a finding supported by the police data, with Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and County Durham experiencing more incidences of cat and dog thefts than any other regions.
The issue of pet theft is not an easy one to solve, but microchipping can increase the chances of a missing pet being found. Of those polled, 37% admitted that their pets are not microchipped, giving a clear indication that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the benefits.
To help tackle the issue, from today and until 6th December, MORE THAN Pet Insurance will be giving away 500 free microchips for cats and dogs at five RSPCA centres across the UK. A hundred will be available in each centre on a first-come first-served basis. For more information visit www.facebook.com/morethan.
John Ellenger concluded: “There sadly isn’t one solution to the issue of pet theft but we want to help pet owners and we believe the free microchips we’re offering will go some way to achieve this. We would urge anyone with a cat or dog to go to one of the five centres involved and get them chipped.”
For more information please contact:
Cow 020 7234 9150, morethan@cowpr.com
MORE TH>N 020 7337 5164, Kaidee.sibborn@uk.rsagroup.com
Notes to editors
Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of MORE THAN Pet Insurance in November 2013. 4,865 cat and dog owners were surveyed.
Following Freedom of Information requests, useable data on cat and dog theft in 2012 and 2013 was obtained from 40 police forces in Great Britain.
The average value of cats and dogs stolen in the UK was £344.86. £344.86 multiplied by 903 is £311,408.58.
http://news.morethan.com/pressrelease/view/1461
